Advances in technology have resulted in conveniences that prior generations never imagined. Items such as cell phones, computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and mobile communications devices can be seen most everywhere. Many new automobiles are manufactured with global positioning satellite (GPS) systems. The internet has provided a plethora of new conveniences. On-line access to bank accounts and credit card accounts is becoming the norm. Electronic commerce transactions, including on-line shopping, are commonplace. All of these high tech systems are changing daily life from that which existed only a few years ago, and changing the way people interact with one another to obtain goods and services.
One item, however, that necessarily accompanies the use of so many high tech systems is that instruction, service, and repair issues will undoubtedly arise. As more automated and computerized systems are introduced, the complexity of systems increases, and more people use such systems, the volume of instruction, service, and repair issues increase. Many organizations utilize a call center to handle instruction, service, and repair customer contacts.
Methods for handling requests associated with instruction, service, and repair can vary greatly among industries and organizations, but a balance between cost, response speed, accuracy, and efficiency is involved, as in other customer service encounters. A common complaint with many customers regarding call center service concerns extended hold times before reaching the right customer service representative to resolve their request. It is not uncommon for a customer to experience delays waiting to obtain service, and/or to be transferred among representatives (in some cases several times) to have their question answered or their request for service handled. Such experiences often lead to customer dissatisfaction.